Ornellaia’s proficient production director discusses the 2022 vintage and how three distinctive wines capture the spirit of determination
There’s something inherently refined about sitting down with a man like Marco Balsimelli—especially when the setting is the ultra chic Café Boulud of the Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto’s upscale Yorkville.
As the recently appointed production director for Ornellaia and Masseto—two of Italy’s most prestigious and celebrated estates—Balsimelli carries both the quiet assurance of experience and the precise diction of a winemaker who respects every detail. And on this day, those details revolved around one thing: the 2022 vintage.
Read Also: Icon Wines: How Ornellaia became a benchmark of Italian excellence
We gathered not just to talk but to taste. Before us sat three expressions from Ornellaia’s 2022 vintage: the flagship Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore, the second-label Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia, and the luminous Ornellaia Bianco. Each glass revealed something unique about the vintage, and equally, about the man shepherding the wines from barrel to bottle.
Photo of the Ornellaia winery, in Bolgheri.
What makes Balsimelli’s insight particularly compelling is his background. With oenology degrees from Florence and Bordeaux, and formative experience at Château Gruaud Larose and under the tutelage of Eric Boissenot—consultant to first-growth icons like Lafite, Latour and Mouton—Balsimelli brings French discipline to Italian passion. It’s a marriage that will surely pay dividends, where he now oversees a legacy built on balance, longevity, and a deep respect for place.
But understanding the wines means understanding the vintage they were born in. The 2022 growing season stood out—not in spite of its struggles, but because of them. And this particular tasting experience was about seeing how someone like Balsimelli, with his calm intellect and studied intuition, is guiding Ornellaia through its next great chapter.
“We don’t chase trends,” he says. “We chase truth in the vineyard. That’s where it all begins.”
‘La Determinazione’: A vintage of challenge—and character
“The 2022 season was not kind at first,” Balsimelli admitted with a subtle grin. “Hot, dry—at times, relentless. The vines were under significant stress through flowering and veraison. Yields were down 15 percent, berries were smaller, and the pressure to pick the perfect date for harvest was immense.”
And yet, like many great stories in wine, adversity paved the way for distinction. “Despite heavy rain throughout the month of August, September saved us,” he said. “Cool nights, a shift in weather—suddenly, we had the conditions to bring balance back to the wines.”
Balance indeed. The Ornellaia 2022—nicknamed La Determinazione—is a brooding yet remarkably poised wine, with a core of black fruit, undertones of sage and bay leaf, and a frame of tannins that hint at structure over brute force. Yes, the heat of the vintage is perceptible, clocking in at 14.5% ABV, but what stands out more is the wine’s elegance. There’s a savoury thread, unmistakenly Mediterranean in personality, laced with notes of scorched earth, sundried tomato, and black olive.
“We didn’t push,” Balsimelli said. “We trusted the terroir and worked gently. That’s the key.”
Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia – the second voice
Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia 2022 speaks in the same Bolgheri dialect, though in a more immediate tone. A blend that leans more heavily on merlot (as opposed to Ornellaia’s cabernet sauvignon dominance), it offers plush fruit, supple tannins, and a kiss of oak spice. It’s charming already—a wine of vibrant youth that mirrors its older sibling’s personality, but with less gravitas.
Still, don’t be fooled by its accessibility. We both agreed that Le Serre Nuove is serious. “It evolves beautifully.” It’s like reading the first few chapters of a novel before reaching the heart of the story.
Ornellaia Bianco – white, but unmistakably Ornellaia
Then came the Ornellaia Bianco 2022—100 percent sauvignon blanc from vineyard’s limestone soils. Single varietal sauvignon blanc isn’t known in these parts of Italy, but Ornellaia doesn’t follow conventions, and in this bottle, it shows.
“This is the only sauvignon blanc of its kind in Tuscany,” Balsimelli said proudly. “It speaks of our sun, our soil, and our sea.”
Bright, textured and aromatic, the wine layers tropical fruit—mango and peach—with toasty almond and that telltale coastal salinity that makes the finish mouthwatering and memorable.
Through drought and uncertainty, the 2022 vintage tested the mettle of even the most seasoned producers—but Ornellaia, true to form, emerged inspired.
In each of these three wines there’s a common thread of quiet strength, restraint, finesse, determination. Elegant power is not about force—it’s about confidence without excess, and clarity without compromise.
If this vintage is any indication, Ornellaia isn’t just surviving the extremes—it’s mastering them.
– Carmelo Giardina is principal editor for VineRoutes
